Underground structure



Jan. 3, 1967 w. D. WATERMAN UNDERGROUND STRUCTURE 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed001:. 21, 1964 w W M mz p vf% mr f M fl/M/ 5 w. w W z M Jan. 3, 1967 w.D. WATERMAN 3,295'327 UNDERGROUND STRUCTURE Filed Oct. 21, 1964 5Sheets-Sheet M R o EE M M7 z 0 M W 27 7 if W xw Z Z Wa a Y M B WM w W Wz g v v M z Jan. 3, 1967 w. D. WATERMAN UNDERGROUND STRUCTURE 5Sheets-Sheet :5

Filed Oct. 21, 1964 Jan. 3, 1967 w. D. WATERMAN UNDERGROUND STRUCTURE 5Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. 21, 1964 United States Patent 3,295,327UNDERGROUND STRUCTURE Willis i). Waterman, Salina, Kans., assignor toHallihurton Company, Duncan, Ghia., a corporation of Delaware Filed Get.21, 1964, Ser. No. 405,432 1 Claim. (Cl. 61-5) This application is acontinuation-in-part of my earlier application, Serial No. 207,658,filed luly 5, 1962. This i-'nvention relates to underground structuresand is particularly directed to an improved underground storage vessel.

An important object of the present invention is to provide a novel formof double-wall housing member.

Another object is to provide a structure of this type having a metalliner encircled by a metal shell with reinforcing elements positioned inthe space between the liner and shell.

Another object is to provide such a structure in which the liner andshell are circular in cross-section and wherein the reinforcing elementsare located in the an- -nulus between them to form a trussed beam, andmeans defining a passage into the annulus for directing a refrigeratingmedium into the space between the liner and shell.

Other and more detaiied objects and advantages Will appear hereinafter.

in the drawings:

FIGURES 1, 2, and 3 are side elevations in diagrammatic form, showingsteps in forming the shaft in the earth for subsequent reception of thedouble-wall reinforced structure embodying my invention.

FIGURES 4 and 5 are side elevation views in diagrammatc form, showingsteps in the method of placing the double-wall reinforced structure.

FIGURE 6 is a side elevation of the completed structure installed in anunderground location.

FIGURE 7 is a sectional view, partly broken away, taken substantially onthe lines 7-7 as shown in FIG- URE 6.

FGURE 8 is a perspective view, partly broken away, illustrating amodified form of the double-wall reinforced structure.

FIGURE 9 is a View similar to FIGURE 8, showing a second modification.

FIGURE 10 is a view similar to FIGURE 6, showing a third modification.

FIGURE 11 is an enlarged sectional detaii taken in the location shown bythe arrows 11 on FIGURE 10.

FIGURE 12 is a transverse sectional detail taken substantially on thelines 12-12 as shown in FIGURE 11.

FIGURE 13 is a view similar to FIGURE 10, showing a furthermodification.

FIGURE 14 is an enlarged sectional detail of a portion of FIGURE 13.

FEGURE 15 is a sectional View taken substantially on lines 15-15 asshown on FIGUR'E 14.

Referring to the drawings, an excavation is first made in the earth toform a shallow hole 10 having sloping sides 11 and a horizontal fioor12. A support structure '13, including a base ring 111, is theninstalled on the fioor 12. A conventional di'illing machine 15 turns asectional pipe 16 having a bit 17 at the lower end in a conventionalmanner. A small diameter hole is thus drilled to the desired depth.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the small hole 18 is enlarged by means of a Wingbit 19, having a pilot 20 and carried on the lower end of the sectionaldrill pipe 1a. A relatively large diameter shaft 21 is forrned by thebit 10 as the drilling machine 15 turns the drill pipe 16. Anunderreamer, not shown, is then used to form an enlarged cavity "ice 22at the lower end of the shaft 21. Cementitious material, such as, forexample, concrete, is then introduced into the lower end of the hole bymeans of a tremie pipe 23. The concrete displaces the drilling fluid inthe hole and forms a plug 24, filling the lower end of the shaft 21. Thetremie pipe 23 is then withdrawn.

A double-wall housing member, generally designated 25, is constructed inthe shop and transported to the jobsite. As shown in the drawings, thismember 25 comprises a cylindrical steel liner 26 encircled by acylindrical steel shell 27. The liner and shell are concentric, and theannular space 23 between them contains steel reinforcing members 29integrally joined' to the shell and liner by welding. Member 25 thuscomprises a trussed `circular beam.

A circular bottom wall 30, formed of steel plate, closes the lower endof the liner 26. A pipe coupling 31 is mounted centrally of this bottomwall 30 and projects therethrough. A grout delivery pipe 32 extendscentrally through the member 25 and is connected to the coupling 31 atits lower end. A grout distributor assembly 33 is connected to thecoupling 31 below the bottom wall 30. This assernbly 33 includes acentral hollow member, having a plurality of tubular spokes 34 radiatingtherefrom.

A short hollow tubular member 35 closed at its lower end also projectsbelow the bottom wall 30 and communicates with the interior of the liner26, to form a sump.

The d'iameter of the shaft 21 is only slightly larger than the outerdiameter of the cylindrical shell 27, while the cavity 22 isconsiderably larger. The member 25, which may be constmcted in the shopunder ideal cond'itions, is transported to the jobsite and then placedupright position over the shaft 21. Conven'tional means are employed forlowering the double-wall member 25 into the shaft which is initiallyfilled with drilling fluid. Since the lower end 30 of the member 25 isclosed, the member may be '*iloated into position, displacing the mudfiuid 22 from the hole 21 and enlarged cavity 22. Control of the member25 during the lowering operation is facilitated by controlling thebuoyancy thereof, and this is effected by admitting drilli'ng fiuid intothe interior of the liner 26. As the member 25 moves downward into theshaft, drilling fiuid is displaced upward' through the clearance spacebetween the shell 25 and the hole 21 and also through the annular space28 between the shell 27 and the liner 26.

FIGURE 4 shows the position of the parts at the end of the loweringoperation. In this position, the lower end of the member 25 projectsinto the enlarged cavity 22, and the grout distributor device 33 liesimmediately above the cementitious plug 24. Drilling fluid remains inthe enlarged cavity 22 and in the shaft 21 outside the member 25 andalso remains inside the annular space 28. Excess drilli'ng fluiddisplaced from the cavity 22 and shaft 21, and not transferred into theinterior of the liner 25, is pumped from the hole 10 by conventionalmeans, not shown.

Grout delivery pipes 37 are then installed in the annular space 28 sothat their lower ends termi-nate near the lower end of said space 28,and grout is then forced downward through the pipes 32 and 37 into thelower end of the enlarged cavity 22. This action displaces the remainingdrilling fluid and causes it to escape upward through the annulus 28 andthrough the clearance space between the shaft 21 and the shell 27. Atrough 30 may be provided at the surface, if desired, to facilitate inremoving the drilling fiuid thus displaced by means of pump 39 anddischarge pipe 40. Efiicient displacement of drilling uid' by means ofgrout is assured by the action of the radiating hollow spokes 34 on thegrout distributor 33. After the drilling fluid has been completelydisplaced by grout from the large cavity 212 and shaft 21, additionalgrout material is introduced through the pipes 37 while the pipes arewithdrawn in an upward direction, thereby assuring complete filling ofthe annular space 23 with cementitious material.

In FIGURE 6 there is shown a cross-section of the completedinstallation. Metal landing shoes 41 fixed to the lower end of thedouble-wall member 25 are shown in position and embedded within thecementitious sheath 42. These landing shoes 41 are omitted in FIGURES 4and for clarity of illustration. The interior of the liner 26 is pumpedfree of drilling fiuid, and the grout pipes 32 and 37 are withdrawn. Ametal plug 43 replaces the coupling 31. A tubular extension 44 projectsupward from the liner 26 and is connected thereto by means of a weldedjoint 45. An enclosure 46 formed by reinforced concrete walls 47surrounds the upward extension 44, and the member 14 may be joinedintegrally to form a part of the walls 47. A reinforced concrete cover48 may be provided and mounted to slide horizontally to expose thecentral opening 49, when desired.

From the above description, it will be understood that the double-wallmember 25, with its reinforcing elements forming a trussed circularbeam, forms an exceptionally strong underground housing or silo for amissile. Moreover, the relatively light weight of the double-wallstructure permits its fabrication under factory conditions rather thanfield conditions, and subsequent installation without danger ofcollapse. My divisional application entitled Method of Constructing anUnderground Structure, Serial No. 495,372, filed September 1, 1965, isdirected to a method of constructing an underground structure of thetype described.

The modified form of my invention, shown in FIG- URES 10, 11, and 12, towhich my divisional application entitled Underground Storage Vessel,Serial No. 551,710, fiied May 20, 1966, is directed, relates to astorage vessel 56 for liquid petroleum gas. The vessel comprises a steeland prestressed concrete structure that is capable of storingvapor-phase products under high pressures. A hole 51 is drilled in theearth having a diameter and depth to accommodate the size of the storagevessel. As an example, the diameter may be about 20 feet and the clepthabout 250 feet, for a vessel of 10,000-barrel volume. A portion 52 ofthe hole 51 is reamed to a larger diameter near the upper end of thevessel 50, for example, about 25 to 32 feet below the ground surface 53.This reamed section 52 of the hole 51. provides space for the laterconstruction of a concrete disk or cap 54 that is thus effectively keyedto undisturbed earth materials.

The double-wall casing member 56 is preferably prefabricated in sectionsand comprises a cylindrical metal liner 57 encircled by a cylindricalmetal shell 58. The metal shell 58 is longitudinally corrugated as shownin FIGURE 12. A cage 60 of metal-reinforcing bars is positioned in theannular space between the liner 57 and the corrugated shell 53. The cage60 includes Vertical bars 61 welded to the liner 57, Vertical bars 62spaced therefrom in a circumferential series, and horizontal crimpedreinforcing bars 63 welded to the Vertical bars 61 and 62 and welded tothe liner 57. The Vertical bars 62 are spaced so that they extend intothe outer portions of the longitudinal corrugations in the shell 58.Vertical grout pipes 66 are loosely positioned within the reinforcingcage 56.

The double-wall casing member 56 is 'fioated into the hole 51,additional Sections being connected end-to-end as the lowering operationprogresses. The rate of lowering the casing member 66 is Controlled bypumping water into the annular space between the liner 57 and shell 53.This annular space is closed at the bottom by means of the annular steelring 65a. When the entire member 56 has been placed in position adjacentthe bottom of the hole 51, a sand layer 67 is placed in the annularspace between the corrugated shell 58 and the hole 51.

After placement of the sand layer 67, the annular space between theliner 57 and shell 58 and the interior of the vessel are both filledwith water. Cement is then poured through the pipe 71 to form theconcrete floor 65 and is allowed to set. Grout is then pumped underpressure through the grout pipes 66 to fill the annular space betweenthe liner 57 and the corrugated shell 58 with cementitious material. Thegrout pipes 66 are withdrawn upwardly while the pumps continue to forcegrout through the pipes 66 to fill the annular' space contai'ning thereinforcing cage 60. The pumping pressure is Controlled by limiting thefiow of water displaced from the annular space. The pressure groutingexpands the outer shell 58 against the sand layer 67, but the liner 57is substantially unatfected, because the pump pressure of the grout actsupon the water confined within the vessel. After the grouting operationis complete and the grout pipes 66 are completely withdrawn from theannual space, the curing of the grout takes place while the interior ofthe vessel is still full of water. The earth exerts a ring-compressionforce against the vessel for elfectively closing any longitudinal cracksthat may develop in the concrete grout. Circumferential cracks areclosed by the weight of the vessel and to some degree by elastic reboundof the steel liner and shell and of the reinforcing cage 60. After thewater has been removed from the interior of the vessel, the reinforcedconcrete cap 54 is poured in position within the portion 52 of the hole51.

It will be observed that after construction of the vessel has beencompleted by the steps described above, that the corrugated steel shell58 exerts compressive stresses on the concrete in the annular spacebetween the liner and the shell. No unbalanced forces are exerted on theshell 57 of the vessel during the cementing operation because the closedinterior of the vessel is filled with water at that time. The water maybe removed from the storage area within the vessel by pumping through aproduct pipe 70, which projects through the pipe 71 connected to theinterior of the vessel at its upper end. T'he liquid petroleum gas maybe pumped into the vessel through the annular space between the pipes 70and 71, thereby forcing the water in the vessel to be discharged throughthe pipe 70. A submersible pump 72 is attached to the lower end of thepipe 70 for the purpose of disoharging liquid petroleum gas through theinterior of the pipe 70. Suitable valve connections, not shown, areprovided at the ground surface.

The modified form of the invention shown in FIGURE l3 relates to storageof liquid natural gas in a refrigerated underground pressure vessel. Thepressure vessel is of the double-wall construction previously describedand includes a metal 'cylindrical liner 81 enclosed by a metalcorrugated shell 82. The corrugations of the shell 82 extendcircumferentially rather than longitudinally. The annular space 83between the liner 31 and the shell 82 contains metal reinforcing lbarswelded to both the liner 81 and the shell 82. These bars84 may take anysuitable or desirable form, and they serve as reinforcing spacersbetween the liner S1 and the shell 32. The shell 80 is floated intoposition within the hole 85 in the manner described above, and aninsulating type of concrete, preferably containing vermiculite, isplaced in position within the hole 85 and outside the corrugated shell32.

A thermostatically Controlled compressor at the surface together withassociated refrigerating means, not shown, cools the annular spacebetween the liner 81 and shell 80 to form a condensing tank of theinterior of the vessel. This cold tank draws natural gas from the main91 through reducer 93 due to lowering of the temperature it isregasified either artificially or by lche ambient temperature of theground. Alternatively, pressnres in the vessel may be somewhat lower,and a pump may be used to return gas to the main 91.

The following are among the advantages of the apparatus shown in FIGURE13: Natural gas can be placed in storage during low-use months withrelatively small compressing equipment. The operation of the storage isautomatic. The vessel is cooled uniformly, thus reducing differentialstresses occasioned by the low temperatnres. The refrigerant (methane)also acts as an insulator. elatively small storage facilities can belocated along distribution systems to maintain minimal line pressures,much like standapipes on water-supply systems. Natural gas, rather thanrelatively pure methane, can be stored because the liquid mixture ofhydroearbons is returned to the main. The .heat transfer through thereinforcing bars is insignificant because of their small cross-sectionalarea. No corrosion of the steel liner or Shell occurs because the lowOperating temperatures.

Having fully described by invention, it is to be under- Stood that I amnot to be limited to the details herein set forth but that my inventionis of the full scope of the appended claim.

I claim:

In an underground structure, the combination of: a double-wall memberhaving a cylindrical metal liner encircled by a cylindrical metal shell,said liner and shell defining `'an annular space between them, metalreinforcing elements positioned in said annular space and joined withsaid liner and said shell to form a continuous trussed beam,cementitious material surrounding said shel-l, means defining a passageinto said annular space for directing a refrigerating medium into thespace between the liner and the s'hell, and a subsurface reinforcedconcrete Cap overlying said shell and said liner.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 460,545 9/1891Wolf 61-40 480,127 8/ 1892 ORourke 61-81 1,221,068 4/1917 McBean 61-401,618,973 3/1927 Briel 61-41 1,847,814 3/1932 Byrne 61-41 1,930,28510/1933 Robinson 138-148 2,184,380 12/1939 Diebel 220-13 3,097,084 7/1963 Putman 62-45 3,151,416 10/1964 Eakin et al 61-.5 X

FOREIGN PATENTS 528,564 5/1954 Belgium. 1,078,027 11/1954 France.

257,682 3/1913 Germany.

564,310 11/1932 Germany. 1,012,274 7/1957 Germany. 1,120,402 12/ 1961Germany.

169,290 9/ 1921 Great Britain.

664,136 1/ 1952 Great Britain.

74,132 2/ 1954 Netherlands.

CHARLES E. O'CONNELL, Primary Examner.

IACOB SHAPIRO, Examiner.

